The animated biopic ‘Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol,’ directed by Sylvain Chomet and produced primarily by Belgian company Walking The Dog at its Brussels studios, was screened multiple times at the Cannes film festival as part of its special screening selection.
The feature film explores the life of French writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, and was initiated by Pagnol’s grandson. It features the voices of Laurent Lafitte and Géraldine Pailhas.
“We had previously collaborated successfully with the director on ‘Les Triplettes de Belleville,’ so we decided to do it again,” said Eric Goosens, co-founder of Walking The Dog, who was present at the festival. “For this new project, 90 people worked for a year and a half at our Koekelberg studio.”
In addition to co-financing the film, Walking The Dog managed two-thirds of the executive production, while its Luxembourg subsidiary, Doghouse Films, was instrumental in creating almost all the sets.
The animation project received financial support from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), Screen Flanders, Screen Brussels, and the Belgian tax shelter.
‘Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol,’ is Walking The Dog's fifth selection at the Cannes Film Festival. The previous one was Ari Folman’s ‘Where is Anne Frank,’ selected in 2021 .
In addition to Cannes, the ‘Marcel and Monsieur Pagnol ' is also slated for the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, to be held in June.
